Kanari
by toofine89
Summary: Sasuke nearly killed Naruto. The fox gives something special up to heal him. Shikimaru finds a nice girl. The world is in danger, and so is an unprepared Naruto. Jiraiya actually can be serious. Naruto can't summon toads. And the fox has gone silent, but is more present now than ever. And who is Kanari? Not yaoi. Mature for sexual content and violence. OOC.


**I'm back. Here we go. ****First off, I own nothing except my version of Kanari and maybe a jutsu or two.** **I am begging. Reviews tell me what is right, wrong, liked, and disliked. I love knowing people care about the story enough to say something, even if the review is simply "good job" or any other two word combination. Second semester of college has started and I'm trying to keep up with grades and organizations. The grades thing didn't work so well last semester. **** Whatever. I'm back; I'll try to update more. Life happens, I guess.**

**You'll notice this is a **

**Spoiler**

**femNaru**

**end spoiler**

**story again. I guess I like the idea for some reason. Anyway, the story will be mature. It will not be lemoncentric, but will have sex. It will not be gorecentric, but there will be some gore. It is a fairly emotional story, though I do not plan for this fic to only be about relationships. It is a ninja world and relationships definitely come in behind living against opponents. And with that, we start.**

**Kanari**

"You still don't seem to realize the situation you're in, do you?" asked the fox in a voice that was impatient and annoyed, but held a little bit of what may be mistaken as concern. At least, if you didn't know about the fox in question. To start with, it was obviously not a normal fox. Those don't speak, so I was hoping that was obvious enough. Second, it was roughly thirty stories tall. Just a little larger than garden variety, you see. Third, it had nine tails. A fashion statement? No, a statement of both power and wisdom as a kitsune would usually gain another tail every hundred years. Nine meant immense strength, near beyond compare, and immense wisdom of the ages. As it stands, the fox in question was quite a bit older. It may have only been a few hundred years old, but as the strongest of its nine siblings (not foxes, don't ask how, it may be explained later, and cannot be blamed on a promiscuous mother and a handsome mailman) it retained a majority its "father's" memories. But I digress.

No, the main reason people would not expect such an odd emotion would be this particular foxes reputation. It was known for destroying things. It radiated a powerful red energy. Its eyes invoked fear into the heart of her enemies. Oh, yes, it was a she, by the way. The joke among her siblings who were brave enough to make it were that she was plagued by a period that never ended. It explained the red leakage… of chakra, the lust… for blood, and the general bitchiness of the fox lord.

Anyway, despite being "all powerful," it had been beaten several years ago, twice actually. Once by a man who had brainwashed it into attacking a village. Once, soon after, by the leader of that village. Now, if the first defeat wasn't embarrassing – she had been defeated simply by looking into the damn man's eye – the second defeat was mortifying. No, she couldn't have simply been killed, but had instead been sealed into the son of the village's leader. Made subservient, even if against her will. And then the horrible had happened. She learned that she shared many of the boy's experiences as they occurred.

The beatings and hunger. Actually physical hunger wasn't so bad, though it did hurt at times, but the hunger for love, for attention, for a single person to care. That was the worst. Especially for a being with, previously subdued emotions.

She'd never admit it, but she grew to appreciate her captor. How he overcame, how he remained - for the most part - forgiving and positive, how he tried to protect those precious to him at any cost, how he tried to become something great when he was only ever told he would be less than nothing.

She'd never admit it, but she grew to help her captor. She'd put more chakra into his system than the seal required to help him overcome his malnutrition and his chakra capacity and potency slowly increased as a result. His senses even, to an extent, were now enhanced due to her chakra. She put all the effort she could into healing him. She calmed his dreams at night, feeding him some of her better memories in place of his terror filled ones, even if he didn't know they were hers. She had helped give him a slight push to healthier habits and trustworthy friends. And his life was never looking brighter.

Unfortunately, was is the imperative word. Now, as she stood looking over him, not hiding her emotions as usual, he smiled back at her. They were currently in a space conjured by his mind to represent the spot in his mind where her "cage," the seal, kept her. Fittingly, she was in a giant cage in this "mindspace."

"It's okay," he said in a soothing manner, an attempt at calming the fox in front of him. He had grown to be, after a sort of fashion friends with the fox. She fixed him up. He often talked with her at night. He had never seen her so upset before. And yes, he knew Kanari to be a she. And about that asshole with the Sharingan eye. "I know I got beat up, but I'll make it. You'll help me heal and we'll make it." He gave a small, but genuine, heart-warming smile. "We always do."

And at that, she began to do something she hadn't known she could do since the man who had raised her had died. She cried, openly and brokenly. "You'll live, but that's about it." At this point, her voice was not gruff or demonic. There was no malice. Just the sound of a broken woman. "You might have killed that bastard, but he pierced your heart and tore through your spine. I can stop us from dying, but we will never walk. It can't be healed, as much of it is just gone and what's left was messed up when the electricity from the Chidori ran through your system."

"I know," he said, though he was now more solemn. "And I meant what I said. It's okay. You're doing all you can to get me out of my screw up. More than you need to just keep us alive. It was my fault this happened." Here his smile returned, though tears started to run down his face. "I'm just so happy. I never thought anyone would ever care for me as much as you do." He wiped away a tear. "You really are one of my most precious people."

And now Kanari's mind was set.

She'd never admit it, but she'd grown to love her captor. She couldn't live to see him live such a life. It would literally kill her heart. She grew resolute. "There is one way to heal you."

Naruto, despite admitting his situation, now perked up. "What is it?"

"I'm going to give you my chakra. My power. My memories. All of me," she started blurting out.

"But, Kanari, don't you need chakra to-" but he was cut off.

"Yes. I need chakra to live. But I am willing to give it all away for you. I meant it when I said I would give you all of me."

The boy was speechless. "I could never ask for you to-"

"You're not asking. I'm giving."

"But-" he stopped his protest at the solidarity in her eyes. "You know, I think I always loved you. You're so beautiful." He swallowed a lump in his throat and willed the tears to stop, but they just increased. "I'm going to miss you so much, Kanari."

"And I you Naruto. Maybe one day we'll see each other again." She doubted it, though. She was chained to the Shinigami and Naruto was likely destined for heaven one day. "I… Don't waste my gift." With that, she surged out of her cage and bit through him, though his wounds healed instantly.

"You will be weak for a while. Maybe a long while. But when you have gone through all my memories, you will have all my strength. You may change a little in how you look, but you will always be you." She started to fade. The tips of her tails turned into light and it spread slowly. "You will always be the man who changed me." Now much of her was gone. "The man I love." Though the last was less than a whisper. Never to be heard, even by the man who loved her back. She was gone. And Naruto soon faded from the mindscape as well, leaving one last tear to reach the floor below him.

An exhausted blonde leaned back and wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead. "I didn't think the fox'd pull through this time. I know I wouldn't have been enough."

Nearby, a masked man with silver hair also let loose a breath he had been holding ever since he found the boy near the Valley of the End. The boy had beaten his rival, Uchiha Sasuke. The two had been close, like brothers, but constantly feuding. They had been team mates. They had truly understood each other. And Sasuke had put a lightning encased fist, a move the masked man had taught him no less, through Naruto's heart and spine. At least the swirling mass of condensed chakra Naruto had used left no heart or spine left behind for the traitorous Uchiha. Kakashi had been the one to discover the body, the one to hurry back to the village with his nonresponsive body over his shoulder, the one to appear in the Hokage's office in a bloody whirlwind, his one visible eye stressed wide open as he yelled for medical help. And now he knew that the child of his late sensei and, more importantly, good friend was safe.

"You are to look over him until he fully recovers, Hatake. He's likely to not even wake up for a day or two. But for now, get some sleep. He'll be safe in the hospital for one night." The jounin looked hesitant. "That's an order. You look like shit and are covered in blood. Go. Shower. Sleep. Be back in the morning for an indefinite length protection mission. He may be weak for quite a while." The man nodded and left a second later.

Tsunade, the blonde woman in question, walked over to the bedside. She leaned down and kissed Naruto on the forehead. "Pull through, you knuckle head." She sat back in a seat near the bed. She would be the guard tonight. But, she was so tired. So she closed her eyes. Just for a second. Her body slumped. She fell quiet.

She wouldn't wake up until the next morning. She wouldn't forgive herself for a long time to come. She would never find the source of the sleeping agent she had been given, and wouldn't even suspect one, for a while at least. However, when her eyes fluttered open to diffused morning sunrays from the window, she would instantly find the bed she had been leaning on empty. She would find her Anbu guards dead. She would hear a Kakashi Hatake weeping at the unfairness of the situation.

"Why could no one just leave the poor boy alone?" was one of the few things the Hokage could actually make out from his grief-stricken ravings. "He never… he never…" hurt them. deserved it. blamed them. stopped smiling. gave up. drank sake. became a man. learned of his father. became Hokage. He never had a chance. And now, he never would. They would never find the boy. He was lost forever. Never to be seen again. In an underground bunker however, a few figures were examining a young blonde with whiskered cheeks.

"The brat can't be allowed to stay here anymore."

"It has poisoned the mind of our Hokage and even an infallible Anbu in Kakashi."

"And now it is weak."

"We can't kill it. We don't know how the seal would react."

"Maybe release it without memories?"

"Or with memories, but no way to relate them?"

"That we could. Make it wallow in its own misery and loneliness."

"But where would we keep it?"

"I know of a man who may be interested. It could probably fetch quite the price."

"And with its lips sealed and location unknown, no one will ever be able to do anything about it."

"Then we have agreed," Homura spoke.

"Yes. I will seal its words tomorrow," Danzo stated.

"And it will be sold the day after," Kohura finished. "And the way it is now, I hope you'll get a good price." With that he left, Homura following.

Danzo chuckled a little. "Oh, I'm sure I'll get an excellent price." He moved a small strand of blonde hair out from in front of sapphire blue eyes that, under drug-induced coma, stared blankly at the ceiling.

Two years. Naruto had disappeared two years ago. That is twenty-four months. Twenty months ago, the official search had been called off. Not because of Jiraiya or Tsunade. Not due to a lack of helping hands. In fact, Sakura and Kiba had been avid supporters of the search. The only two who were more vocal in opposition against stopping the search were both surprises. It had brought both Hinata out of her shell and brought Shikamaru to action. In fact, due to the boy's good spirit, Jiraiya had taken him on as a second apprentice. Though he didn't want to give up on Naruto, Tsunade pointed out that the teachings had to be passed down and, unfortunately, there was no guarantee that Naruto would be found. No, the people who had stopped the search were Homura and Koharu. Well, behind the guise of representing the civilian council.

Eighteen months ago, Jiraiya had left, Shikamaru in tow, for a training trip. It was as much for training as it was for spying and for, most importantly, an excuse to look for Naruto. Twelve months ago was another Chunin Exams. Neji, now with less of a stick in his ass, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, and Kiba had passed. The person everyone was most surprised about was definitely Kiba. The boy had focused. He had become strong. He would never admit it, but his goal was to fulfill Naruto's dream in memory of his friend. Ten months ago, Tenten had been nearly killed in an ambush from Oto. As it was, she could no longer be an active shinobi, though she still tried to hang out with the old group from time after time. She had done it on a mission with Lee, shoving him out of the way of the receiving end of a fire jutsu. Lee changed after that, not losing his vigor or passion, but becoming a little more serious. Nine months ago, Ino, Chouji, and Lee were given a field promotion. They had been on a mission led by Kurenai in which they were surrounded by eleven jounin. They had led the man they were escorting, a lesser noble of Spring, to safety and eliminated ten of the jounin. They had captured the last. It had been a hard fight, but following the sacrifice of his old teammate, Lee took protected his team with all he had.

Sakura had treated the team when they came back. Lee had taken the most damage and, as she healed the rends in his flesh, he healed the wound in her heart. They've been seeing each other since. One month ago Konohamaru had become a genin and was already one of the best of his class. His inspiration was to show the village what Naruto could have been.

And now, on the two year anniversary of Naruto's disappearance, Jiraiya wanted to get shitfaced and Shikamaru was more than happy to follow his example. It made the memories easier. Right now they were passing through a small city in Lightning Country, a place with two inns and a bar that doubled as a brothel. Similar to the place in Earth Country where Shikamaru had lost his virginity one year earlier. He knew he was probably going to die early as a ninja, and just didn't have anyone he was really interested in back home. So why not have some fun? He had jutsu to prevent getting anything more than he paid for, so there wasn't really any danger. Hell, he would probably be going for the same thing tonight. Under henge, of course. His mother would never find out about this.

So they started with some nice warmed sake, nothing too strong, before moving onto something that burned as it went down and made Shikamaru's eyes water. And now he was feeling loosened up. They asked the bartender for two girls and two rooms and a minute later a trampy brunette with a decent body clad in, well, not much came and Jiraiya, pleased at such good luck for the fairly quaint area, immediately left with her. A few minutes later, though, Shikamaru was glad he had waited. The girl given to him wore a little more than the last girl did. She wore a short yukata that went down to mid-thigh and showed quite a lot more up top. The yukata itself was a deep silky purple that matched the girl's striking purple eyes.

She was definitely a looker with her lightly tanned skin, her long legs, her beautiful blonde hair that cascaded down her back, full and luscious lips, and eyes covered with long, bold, eyelashes. But her eyes were the most striking feature. Although unique enough a color purple was, the inner fire these had were beautiful. They had looked… broken when she had first come to see her client. But they had lit up on seeing Shikamaru and now shone with a hope of someone who had been hopeless for a long time.

Now, she had not felt so right in a long time. But when she saw him, she knew it would be a good night. It was stirring within her, an energy that she had not felt for a long time. Definitely not since she had been working here. She gently took him by the hand and, as if a calm breeze, slowly drifted to her "working place."

"Have we ever met before?" the boy asked, but she didn't answer. She just put a finger to his lips and, giving him a shy smile, shook her head no.

"Just relax," she said at seeing the hesitant look in his eyes. "This can be good for both of us."

She leaned her head in and, unlike the other customers she had in the past, she gave him a deep kiss, her tongue reaching out to meet his and dancing a beautiful tango. He tasted like spring. Fresh. And of alcohol. To be expected. He likewise tasted something he liked. It was just a little sweet.

As he moved lower, her breathing hitched, he started lapping up another liquid that was even sweeter, like strawberries. She returned the favor and he was introduced to absolute ecstasy. It was only a few minutes later as she rode him, her back arched in pleasure as her pert womanly mounds showed her arousal that another word was said. He could feel the energy whipping through her as he released his built up arousal and she released hers. And something more. It was warm, and welcoming, and so strong. "Shikamaru!" she cried in her throws of ecstasy.

A second later, she was in tears with a great smile on her face as she leaned forward onto his chest, trailing kisses. "Thank you," she said. Another kiss. "Thank you," she cried. Another kiss.

Even in the thralls of ecstasy, however, he caught it. Even through his henge, she had known who he was. She had known. Who was she? But she was so beautiful, and so happy. And he could feel himself harden inside of her again, triggering her to moan. Oh fuck it. She didn't seem harmful. It could wait until morning. She apparently thought the same as she was now riding him like never before, her walls massaging him to pure bliss. It was the best night either of them had had in a while.

That next day, however, was a day full of shocks and surprises. Shikamaru woke up before the girl did, henge long released once he realized it didn't help. He felt amazing as, apparently not only had he slept with himself still pocketed in her wonderful folds, but that his body was ready for another round. It was a wonderful, stiff, fullness that woke the girl a few seconds later. She released a beautiful moan, followed by a slightly needy whimper as her eyes fluttered open. As much as Shikamaru would like to continue their previous night's… activities, his now sober mind realized other things. A perfectly normal girl had seen through his henge. She had known who he was. She had thanked him for the sex. She had never given him a name. She now exuded a chakra prescence that, although warm and comforting, was much greater than Tsunade's or Jiraiya's when fully built up. Hell, it might have been greater than that of all the Sannin combined. And this was just what she passively gave off.

Although troublesome, this girl was special. And if she had been ordered, she could have killed him at any point she wanted. But he was alive, so she obviously hadn't had a seduction/assassination mission. But her chakra proved her to likely be kunoichi. And, were those whiskers on her cheeks?

"Hmmmmm, that felt so good…" the girl practically purred as she stroked his chest, her nails nearly claws. She smiled a small, sexy, seductive smile, very slightly enlarged canines showing, before kissing Shikamaru on the lips. Her tongue entered his mouth and both released small moans. Shikamaru had to admit that it felt quite good last night. She pulled away after a moment. "Though I never thought this is how we'd meet up again."

"So you do know me?" asked the boy in a somewhat lazy, though somewhat interested voice.

"Yes," the girl whispered into his ear before slowly, agonizingly slowly, sitting up and lifting off of his member. She was almost sad to feel so empty again, and he definitely missed her warmth. "But I think our conversation may need a little more concentration." She paused and thought for a second. "And if there are any more leaf nin here, I might as well tell you the story all at once."

"Okay, I guess," said Shikamaru. Seeing as the girl could have taken him out at any point last night and, probably, could do so whenever she chose to yet hadn't, he didn't think she would now. Plus, her chakra was just so warm. It felt so good. He could trust her.

A few minutes later Shikamaru had dragged a bloody Jiraiya into the room. The girl glanced at him as if expecting an answer for the blood. "He seemed a little too eager when I mentioned a girl wanted to meet him," the pineapple haired boy said.

The girl giggled as if expecting it. Shikamaru thought it was a rather cute giggle. She was on the bed, clad in only a very long t-shirt that she usually slept in when not "serving" a customer. The old man sighed. "So why did you want to see me Miss-?" he asked for her name.

"Kanari. Right now, just Kanari. And I thought you would be glad to see your old apprentice again."

Both men stared at her for a second before going wide eyed. Blonde hair? Hyper? And now that Shikamaru paid attention and wasn't drunk out of his mind, very slight whiskers? "Troublesome." Guess who?

"But what's with the sexy no jutsu? And the brothel? And not saying anything beforehand? And you disappearing? And why couldn't you be like this when I was training you?" Guess who.

"Well," the girl pouted, "it's not exactly something that could be helped." And here her face started to go dark and she seemed to become very… emotionally depressed. "I never wanted this."

The room was silent for a moment. "I'm not using a jutsu. This is how I look. I guess I'm no longer really "Naruto," not as we all knew him at least. When I fought Sasuke, I would have recovered. But I would have been little more than a vegetable." Here the light in his eyes dimmed. "I lost a good friend. Kyubbi gave me everything she had to keep me alive. She died that night. And I felt myself in Konoha soon after."

"I don't know what happened after that, but I woke up here. As I am now. I was strapped to a table, and, and, and that bastard boss of ours stood over me. And he," she shuddered and stalled in place for a moment. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. Jiraiya was really hoping that he, she rather, wasn't going to say what he was expecting. It wasn't until Shikamaru sat on the bed next to her and rubbed his hand up and down her back that she managed to continue. But now she was much more subdued. "He violated me." Jiraiya gave a sharp intake of breath, his worse fear for her confirmed. "But I found I could not disobey him. My body would act when my brain told it not to if he told me to. So he-" here she cut off again before continuing with a voice full of loathing and disgust and sorrow neither man could imagine, "trained me." And here she started to cry. Tears trailed down her face. She remembered the first time he entered her, her mind still calling out that it shouldn't be possible. How he pulled and twisted and clamped on her body, not listening to her cries. How he beat her with punches until she stopped struggling in the slightest because she found that, as long as he told her not to do so, her body wouldn't let her do so. "He hurt me. He beat me. He raped me. But he couldn't break me. That bastard," she spit the last part. Even if something made her body obedient to him, her loathing for him had never ceased. Especially with the surprise of what had happened when he declared her fully "trained."

"And then he gave me customers. I couldn't disobey him no matter how hard I tried. I tried to talk of Konoha and who I was, but it couldn't leave my lips. I was only able to speak of things that had happened since I woke up here, and I was told to make it sound pleasant. I thought that maybe I really was enjoying myself. Maybe I was just a bitch in heat like he called me." But now her voice gained a little bit of strength.

"I thought that until I saw the faintest outline, the same color as my tongue, on my tongue. It only showed up when I had burned my tongue on a hot meal and the skin and ink were different colors, not that it lasted long, but it was proof a seal was on me, affecting me. Then I tried to resist further. I tried to speak in code, but it burned so badly all over my whole body. I tried to send out messages, but I couldn't even write treasonous messages and the thought of doing so put my body into horrible agony. I tried every communication trick taught in the academy, learned in the field or thought up on the spot by my own little mind. And it only ended in pain. I gave up. For a year and a half now I have been a good little whore." The men, one a master of fuinjutsu and one an avid disciple knew how painful seals could be. They truly appreciated how much it must have hurt and her endeavors to continue. And felt horrible for what happened to her. Now, though, she started to smile, tears still hanging at the corners of her lovely eyes.

"But Kyuubi had said that I would receive her power when I had absorbed all of her memories and through the last two years I have seen them in my dreams. Two nights ago, I had my last dream. I absorbed all the rest of Kyubbi's memories in that time. Yesterday, I saw you come in. Shikamaru looked like someone else at first, an ugly man. Then he turned hazy, but I could still see him, like he was covered in smoke, and I could really see him for who he was. And then, I was so happy to actually know who I was doing it with. You weren't another face that just grinned lecherously as we walked into the room. And you were so gentle, not like all the others. You didn't demand me to do anything ridiculous and gave back just as much as you gave. And when I climaxed with you, this energy just came out of me. And I knew I didn't have to do what he said anymore. I knew that I could speak about my past again. And it's all because of you, Shikamaru." At this point she turned to him, tears leaking out of her lovely violet eyes again, and gave him a tight, loving hug. "Thank you so much." She let go a second later, but the gratitude could still be seen in her eyes. And quite honestly neither of them had wanted the hug to end so soon.

"I've missed you Naruto," Jiraiya started. "I can't believe how much you've had to go through. And I do want to bring you home." Knowing that this is where the but came in, Kanari leaned on Shikamaru a little bit as he protectively grabbed around her shoulder.

"BUT I can't just take your word for it. I'll need to check your blood, something the toads can do just by looking at you, and check for more seals if any are left in case one could hurt you or us. If you aren't under their control anymore, probably because of your new chakra, they'll probably be completely gone from your body. Still, I'd like to look in case your gender is part of that." The girl nodded consent, though Shikamaru noticed her grip on his hand- wait, how long had they been holding hands? –tightened significantly. She was afraid.

Jiraiya started by summoning a toad who quickly confirmed Kanari's identity. Jiraiya, now feeling safe, reached out to her to hug his wayward apprentice. He truly missed his godson. But she shied away and whimpered. "I'm sorry," she softly said. "I've just not been able to stand men for a long time. I have only been able to work here because the seals demanded I do so and not be able to show my fear of men. Except towards those who fed off of it." She shuddered at that, remembering some of her toughest clients. Unlike the other girls, she wasn't allowed to turn down clients. Likely the only reason she had been given to Shikamaru was because her owner liked her to suffer and Shikamaru's henge had been quite ugly.

"If my dreams weren't Kyubbi's memories, they were nightmares of what I've had to do while wearing a smile. Could Shikamaru possibly check for seals instead of you? I know you only want to help, and that you miss me. I miss you too but I can't stand the thought of you looking at me like that. Even if it isn't perverted. I don't know why I can accept Shikamaru, but I think it would be easier for me."

Jiraiya nodded acceptingly. Being forced into prostitution had to damage your psyche. Especially as a guy performing the act as a girl. Plus, Shikamaru had already seen her body and wasn't known for being as perverted as he was. "Anything to make it easier," he said and got up to leave the room. "I'll need you to call if you find something, though." A second later the door closed behind him.

Naruto reached for the hem of her t-shirt and started to lift it over her head. Shikamaru noticed she was blushing as bright as he was. She lay on her back on the bed while he prepared a justsu that would reveal seals in an area around him. As she revealed her beautiful body, however, Shikamaru turned her direction before turning a whole new shade of red. She had been gorgeous when he was drunk and it was dark, but now he knew she was a goddess. She soon followed suit as his eyes raked her body. "Do you see anything?"

"N-no!" he sputtered, embarrassed to be caught and also genuinely seeing nothing. "U-um, let me look at your back now," he said. The girl rolled over and this time, Shikamaru saw something as the hair parted on the back of her neck.

"Actually, there is something." His inquisitive side got the better of him as he leaned in close, parting the hair. It was simple, a small Uzumaki swirl.

"Shikamaruuuu!" whined the girl as his breath tickled the back of her neck.

Quickly realizing how it must have felt, he shot right up and away from the bed. "Sorry. Sorry." With that the girl turned over and unintentionally flashed him. He quickly jerked his head away. "Yeah, you can cover up now. It's on your neck, so Jiraiya can see it, even with your shirt on."

A moment later she called, "Okay, it's on. Call in the pervert."

On cue, said pervert came in. "So, you find anything interesting? Seal-wise, of course," he added with a just barely lecherous grin, getting both teens to blush. He would have said something more off color, but he knew Naruto, sorry, Kanari, was already having a hard enough time. Proven as she gave a short "eep!" while the boy just mumbled his usual catchphrase.

"Yeah," the boy said once he regained his composure. "There's one seal on the back of her neck, behind her hair." Kanari shifted her hair to the side and, sure enough, there was the spiral. Jiraiya looked at it for a few moments before he burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny about a fucking seal on me?" asked Kanari. She was pissed off at seals as they had cursed her life from the beginning, and possibly even these past two years.

"That's exactly what it is!" sputtered out Jiraiya. "It's a fucking seal. Look, Shikamaru, turn around." The boy did and, certainly enough, there was an identical seal, only that it spun the opposite direction. "Thought so." The man said and the boy faced them again.

"You have one too!" said Kanari, unsure of why.

"Really? Troublesome."

"More troublesome than you'd expect. So, Naru- Kanari, rather. What should we call you?"

"Kanari. It's been my name for two years and I have a special memory of it." Plus, it was a girl's name and she was tired of being called a fishcake.

"Okay, Kanari. You absorbed a demon. Are you one?"

"Well, I might as well be if I have all of her power and memories," the girl responded.

"And do you two feel good together?" he asked the teens. "Maybe each other's chakra feels warm or comforting. Or you have an indescribable trust in them. Or you feel you can almost read each other's thoughts?" Both teens hesitated before nodding.

"Thought so. In that case, I pronounce you husband and wife. That mark is a mating mark. You two will find that the only one who interests you as anything more than a friend or family will be each other. You will be drawn to each other. You will love each other because, whether you realized it or not when you had sex, your demonic chakra, Kanari, found you two were quite literally destined for and made for each other." As he spoke, both teens alternated between embarrassment, shock, and a little bit of eagerness.

"It explains why even though you know me as well as you know Shikamaru, you trust him so much more."

"Fine. So we're mates. I guess that's not so bad," Shikamaru said as he shot a small smile her way, out of character in how shy it was. "But right now, I want to get her out of this place. I can't stand to see her here any longer. She never should have been here in the first place. And I'm having trouble fighting the growing urge to kill her 'boss.'"

Apparently the mark also made him defensive, Jiraiya noted, though he couldn't blame the boy. The boy- girl, rather- he treated like a grandso- damn it! granddaughter should never have been in such a position.

Kanari agreed with most of what Shikamaru had said. There were certainly worse people to be mated with. And she also wanted to kill her boss. But damn if she was going to let another seal decide her fate! Then again, it was part of her that decided this, her chakra. And if chakra was part physical part mental/spiritual, then having compatible chakra may literally mean them to be compatible both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Sure, she knew they were physically compatible from last night, but mentally and spiritually as well? Whatever, too confusing. Think about it after the man who "owned" you is killed.

"Ero-sennin," Kanari started, breaking the man from his thoughts, "my boss, Saitou, has bought all the other girls, too. And barely treats them better than me, only because I couldn't refuse him anything. They have nowhere to go, but don't really mind the job, just Saitou. If you got rid of him, no one would know I was missing for a while and the girls could run the place on their own."

Shikamaru was already raring at the bit to do as she asked, but Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Okay, but we can't kill him right out. If we can find where he bought you, we can find who kidnapped and sealed you in the first place. It definitely wasn't him."

Kanari shot right up. "Okay, let's go!" She went to leave the room before Jiraiya reached out and caught her shoulder. At his touch and realizing who it was, she collapsed to the ground and shivered.

"I didn't mean to do that to you, Kanari, but it backs up what I was going to say," Jiraiya said. "If you are afraid of me, a man you know, who you know cares about you like family, then you will be useless against that Saito scum. Let me deal with him." The girl, still on the floor nodded at him, her shivering slowing down.

"Okay. C-could Shika-kun stay up here with me and help me pack?" she asked timidly.

"Yes, dear," answered the Sage. "I'll be downstairs if you need me," he said before stomping off to find the man.

Shikamaru came over to Kanari and, instead of helping her to her feet like she expected, he scooped her up into his arms bridal style. She blushed and buried her head against his body before pointing out the room that held her possessions. Although it was crossing the threshold into a room that was once her prison instead of a newlywed's home, they both still felt the same emotion, even if Kanari didn't want to admit the seal was right. It felt like they were complete together. Like it was right as long as they were both just there.

He set her down on her feet, and she found herself steady after Jiraiya left them. She quickly packed up all that she had into a sealing scroll Shikamaru procured, not that there was much. A few outfits, though all fairly revealing; another nightshirt; a few toiletries; and a fox plushie. The only thing she had of worth was pulled out from the floorboards- the Shodaime's necklace. She had managed to hide it all this time. That was put around her neck on a choker that she wore. She changed into a black tank top that showed her midriff, covered by an orange jacket (of course) that only went down as far. Likewise she wore orange short shorts and black boots that reached up to cover most of her calves. She topped it off with orange fingerless gloves and a black kunai holster on her right thigh that Shikamaru had provided. Her hair was in the pigtails her only original jutsu was known for. And to think this was her least revealing outfit other than the yukata Shikamaru had seen last night.

When they walked downstairs, Kanari felt an uneasy silence in the usually loud bar and brothel. She turned the corner to see her old boss, tied hands and knees, pushed over onto his face with Jiraiya standing over him, keeping him in that position. Ironically enough, she remembered the many times she would be tied up and put into a very similar position. "Ah, Naruto," said the toad sage, still not over her old name. "He has given me more than enough information and already turned the deed over to the girls. Are there any last words you wish to say to him?"

The man turned his head to face her. "You whore. I knew I never should've tak'n in a ninja bitch, but that fuckin' seal made you so worth it. Your smile riding my cock, even though you were crying about it." He released a grotesque laugh, choking on his own blood as he did so. "Even if you kill me, it won't change the fact that you were a whore, my whore, and that you came when I told you ta' do so." Kanari's face turned an angry, ashamed red as she turned her face into Shikamaru's chest. He didn't really know what to do, so he held her for a second, fairly awkwardly rubbing her back before he gently put a kunai into her hand. At her questioning glance, he simply gave her a nod.

She let go of him, her anchor, and walked towards the laughing man on the floor. His beard was covered in his own blood. His fat was sagging with gravity. And in his eyes was a confidence that she couldn't finish the deed. "Your words are poison," she stated, tears leaking out of her eyes. She lunged before she lost the nerve and cut open his throat. She stared back as his confidence left his eyes, followed by fear and regret, the sound of choking on his blood louder and more desperate as he searched for air. Then, all emotion left his eyes. "Rot in hell." With that, she threw the kunai into the ground next to the man and ran from the building.

She couldn't stand it in there anymore. She ran and ran until she ran into a warm body. She couldn't see through her tears, but pounded on his chest again and again until he grabbed her wrists to stop her. "Let me go!" she shouted. "Let me go!" She used all of her strength and threw her arms to the side, her assailant flying through the air and hitting a tree.

"Ouch," said a familiar voice. She looked to see who it was she had thrown, only to see Shikamaru sitting up, nursing a hurt back. "Troublesome."

"Oh, Shika." She ran to him, and tackled the already downed man. "Shika, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him, and his around her, and she kept crying. "I just- can't believe- and then- threw you- so sorry- don't leave me." Was what he made out from her wails of misery.

This time a little more experienced, he rubbed her back soothingly and she cried into his shoulder. "Let it all out. It'll all be alright. I'm not hurt and he can't hurt you." He almost cried himself. She had been such a strong person. But now… That was all gone now. "I'll protect you. Just let it all out." And she did. He held her while she cried occasionally kissing her hair, her forehead, God she was just so beautiful. He held her until the tears stopped. Until she fell asleep. But her grasp hadn't left or lessened. So she likewise held him until he fell asleep.

Jiraiya found them a little while later, but hadn't the heart to wake them. Though he did take a few pictures for blackmail. He'd let them sleep for now. They could always leave tomorrow, or later in the evening. Plus, he was tired too. They might have only been up for a few hours, but talk about a wild ride.

She woke up a few hours later, the sun high in the sky, and found she had been leaning into Shikamaru. She looked up into his face – relaxed, calm, strong – only to be surprised when he cracked an eye open. "So you're up then, huh?" he asked.

"So what, lazy bum?" she responded. "I though you of all people would appreciate a midmorning nap."

He nodded in assent to that. "Yeah, I enjoyed it. I loved waking up all warm and comfy too. But waking you up earlier just seemed too… troublesome. Even if I can't feel my legs."

She looked down to notice she was putting most of her weight there. "And let me tell you, you're strong. I just tried to escape from your grip earlier, but you just held tighter and whined a bit. I felt like it was Tsunade or Lee trying to crush me there for a second." He chuckled. "So I just sat here and waited for you to wake up."

She smiled a little bit before, on impulse, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. She was a little shy about it – especially since she had gone much farther with him already and willingly the second time– and turned her head away in a slight blush before she stood up. He followed her in a second and they walked back towards the brothel. They didn't really talk much while they walked but Shikamaru at one point grabbed her hand. She looked at him first in curiosity, then when he gave a "Hm," that translated to "I'm here for you," she gave a blinding smile and picked up the pace to get back faster, dragging him along. She dragged him, stumbling into the bar and he barely stopped in time to stop from hitting her when she suddenly stood still.

There, sitting on one of the bar benches, sat an inebriated Jiraiya, several empty bottles of sake scattered around, as he told drunken stories to the many girls attending him. Maybe it was the coin he was throwing around, or the fact that they were grateful to him, but it looked like nearly every girl in the place was hanging off of "Master Jiraiya." "And I said I'd train him if he just kept that form," the man continued, snorting a little bit, "and now he is. What do you know, eh?"

The girls all gave a little laugh except for Kanari who had apparently heard enough to know that the sage was talking about when they first met and Jiraiya was obsessed with his girly alter-ego. She managed to get over her fear of men long enough to give the old lecher a (one-handed, might I mention) rasengan up the ass. In the usual comical manner, the man flew into a wall and stayed there, just twitching a little, his outline embedded into the wall. "Ero-sannin," she hmmphed out. Half a second later she was tackled by one of the other girls, Akemi.

"Why didn't you tell us who you were?" she asked, rubbing up against Kanari affectionately. "You could've kicked Saito's ass a long time ago if what Jiraiya-sama says is true."

Kanari just sighed and gave her friends a weary smile as Akemi let go. "I wanted to. I wanted to so many times. To do both, really. But I had seals on me that stopped me. I literally couldn't." She stopped for a second, feeling Shikamaru step up next to her. She grabbed his hand without thinking about it, interlocking their fingers. "But now, it's all over. And why are you calling Jiraiya _sama_?"

"Well," laughed Harumi, another girl, "he did save us. Plus, he's paying us some to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. So he's our employer, really, even if we're leaving running the place up to Michiko." She eyed Shikamaru for a second. "Plus, he brought your boyfriend with him." She slowly walked up to Shikamaru. "What's your name, sweetie?" she asked as she ran a finger under his chin.

Kanari defensively stepped between the two. "We're not dating. And his name is Shikamaru."

"Well you seem to be hogging him to yourself an awful lot for not liking each other," Akemi commented. "Or was he just that good in bed?" she added with a teasing smile.

Kanari sputtered as she answered, "Wh-h-t-th-that's not important, okay. I've just known him since forever so-" she trailed off, waving her hand in the air as if that explained it.

And boy did it explain it. All the girls understood perfectly. "So did you like each other before you were a girl?"

Shikamaru just sighed. "Troublesome. I was always her friend. She was always funny and fun and made staying awake at the academy worth it. I always laughed at all of her pranks and even helped her with one or two."

"Yeah!" Kanari took over. "We always were friends. I didn't have many, but Shikamaru always stood beside me. He didn't pressure me, or make fun of me. Hell, he even tried to get other people to stop teasing me from time to time. We always enjoyed each other's company." A pretty blush covered her face.

A collective "awww" came from the other girls before one, Miyako, spoke up. "You two would have been so cute a couple back then," she said while imagining a little Kanari and Shikamaru together. The only two who had problems were the two in question as they were imagining themselves as two boys. And neither Naruto Uzumaki nor Shikamaru Nara were gay. It took a second for them to realize the girls (most of them) were imagining Kanari as a little girl and then both Shikamaru and Kanari liked the picture.

They had to admit it would have been cute. "But Miya-chan," Akemi spoke up, "they're still really cute together."

"We're not together!" shouted a nearly irate Kanari, raising her free hand in the air in a fist, though not really too menacing.

Her other hand was soon pointed out by Harumi, "But you really like holding his hand, huh?"

Kanari just looked at her other hand dumbly for a second. Before she pouted and muttered, "If I want to hold his hand, then I'm going to, damn it." The other girls just chuckled and Shikamaru smiled at how cute she was being when Jiraiya peeled himself off of the wall, acting as if he had never been hurt.

"When did you two get here?" he asked, continuing on before they could answer. "Anyway, I was just checking to make sure they could run the place fine on their own before we took off."

The previously mention Michiko stepped up to answer. "We should be able to run everything. We'll give the man you told us about weekly reports and call for him if we need him urgently." She smiled, breaking her nearly cold exterior. "Just don't be a stranger, Jiraiya-sama, Kanari-chan, Shikamaru-san. We'll always be glad to see you all again."

Both men nodded in appreciation and gave their thanks, turning to walk off. Kanari turned with them, but soon dragged Shikamaru back with her. She bowed deeply to the girls and gave them a smile. "Thank you all for being such good friends in such a bad place. I'll never forget you all and I'll stop by when I can." The girls all gave their own goodbyes before Kanari left, all of them sad to be losing Kanari but glad she was going to a better life.

"You coming?" asked Jiraiya who, although realizing this was emotional for her, was ready to get moving. With one last farewell the two teens turned from the girls and towards the back of their already departing master. As the two teens caught up to Jiraiya Kanari wiped away a tear. But this was no time to cry. She had more important things to do. She had a snake to kill, a brother to find, a seal master to destroy, and, she realized as she looked at Shikamaru, the most important thing to her. She had to protect her precious people. But to do any of her goals, she'd have to make up for lost time and train like mad. She had all of her late friend's power and none of her experience or control. It was time to get serious.

Shikamaru just stole quick glances at the blonde who seemed to have a deathgrip on his hand. God she was beautiful. And he would never let her get hurt again. He'd always be there for her. But he'd have train like mad to get up to her strength. It was time to get serious.

Jiraiya lead on, just wondering how this would all turn out. He knew when they returned that heads would roll. He would be the one to do the decapitation if he got the chance. But first he needed to find out what miserable son of a bitch had done this to his goddaughter. And he'd definitely have to train both of his pupils well. It was time to get serious.

As the shinobi already passed the horizon, the girls stared on, wishing their saviors and their friend the best, forgetting about the brothel for a second. The moment ended when the normally soft-spoken Michiko giggled. "I wonder what their kids will look like?" The girls started gossiping and speculating as they went back to getting ready for work. They may still be prostitutes, but they were free women now. They could refuse clientele they knew to be abusive and could set their own limits and prices when they had a private session. They could keep their money and make more from Jiraiya for information. They had a purpose, they had more freedom than they had in years, and they were looking forward to a new tomorrow.

"My lord," said a man with a blank mask as he bowed before an old man in a dark room. The room was scarcely furnished, stoic, just like the old man who sat in a simple wooden chair behind one of the few luxuries he accepted in his life, his grandfather's ornate wooden desk.

"Please, make it quick," said the man before taking a puff on a pipe. "And do not bore me."

"There is no response from the demon's tracking seal or other seals." Now the man was interested. "We waited to see if the deadman seal had flipped and it seems that the demon is dead. But the tracking seal should still work. We submitted this in our report, but it came to new importance this morning when we intercepted a message on its way to the Hokage before setting it back on its path. It seems Jiraiya found a new pupil. According to the message, they will not return as scheduled, not until she is properly trained."

The old man, covered in bandages set his pipe down to think. "Bring me my tracking squad. We have much to talk about. Dismissed." The masked man left as the old man picked up his pipe again. 'So, Jiraiya, a seal master, finds a new female student and suddenly the seals on her body no longer work? But, then, the deadman seal should not have gone off. It only means that chakra no longer runs through one's system if their deadman seal goes off. So she must have died. But who then is his new student?'

Four men entered the room, one wearing a smile that, on any other, would appear to be extremely friendly and warm. On him, though, it just looked empty. Robotic. It seemed wrong. It was an emotionless smile. Sai spoke up as, though he was merely sixteen, he was the commander of the division's best tracking squad. "What do you have for us, Danzo-sama?"

**And that is where I stop for the night.**

**Yet again, I am begging. Reviews tell me what is right, wrong, liked, and disliked. I love knowing people care about the story enough to say something, even if the review is simply "good job" or any other two word combination.**

**Good night, beautiful and not so beautiful people of the interwebs.**


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